The gang at Scrapbook Generation is busy getting ready for retreat #2 this weekend, and this time we're heading for Eureka Springs. For some reason, everything is much easier the second time around!

Saturday, we had great fun with the group that took part in our all-day Halloween theme crop. There were lots of pages created and plenty of laughter shared.

Today, Karin taught a class for kids from the Springfield Boys and Girls Club. She helped them make Halloween treat bags, and mini-albums with a fall theme. This is the second time the group has participated in a class at Scrapbook Generation. We're always open to helping out community groups when we can.

I'm still having trouble getting photos on the blog, so to check out November class projects, please see our new website, scrapbookgeneration.com. Stacey has worked really hard getting us online, and I love the way everything looks, and how informative the site is. Our online kits sales is not quite ready to go, but that will come soon. We're just working out some shipping details. Our shipping department (Stacey!) tells me we are close to the finish line!

We're also working on the class and crop schedule for December and January, and have a few surprises for you. I'm also putting the final touches on a couple of year-long projects I hope many of you will be interested in for 2007.

This week, we're expecting some beautiful silk-covered albums from Pioneer! I'll let you know as soon as they arrive.

Karin and I were gone for two days to visit relatives who are hospitalized in Little Rock, and when we returned last night, we discovered that leaving Stacey and Ali in charge can be a good thing. They have the store filled with new stuff! Here's what's new...

Imaginisce: A new company that you'll fall in love with. We chose the Exotic East collection, which has jewel-toned papers, and jewels to match. There are also metal filligrees, metal plates to slide ribbons through, and just a wonderful assortment of coordinating items, including brads, ribbons, and charms.

All My Memories: The new Uptown Chic albums are updated in a rich red, charcoal, and bisque. We have both sizes, 12x12 and 8x8.

Doodlebug: One of the cutest things we saw at the Chicago show this summer was this company's new Paper Frills. We have all 12 colors of these 12x12 borders die-cut in intricate shapes, including rows of flowers. (Also have a new shipment of the matching alphabet sets.)

Creative Imaginations: What a great idea! The new Bare Elements line is made up of plain white items perfect for home decor, and easy to personalize with just about anything you can think of. We have six styles of Christmas ornaments, actual wood blocks, gift card holders, door hangers, triptyches (a three-sided free-standing item perfect for a picture display), 12x12 frames, two styles of purses (square and clutch), and wood words which can be used as letters and as the negative shape left after the letters are removed (love, family, baby, and travel).

Daisy D's: We have four cute projects ready for the making, including a chipboard purse, a mini-album, and an envelope set.

We've also added the entire alphabet in 7" tall wood letters by Plaid, and have a new stock of chalk inks, storage items, pens, circle cutters, punches, and more.

Can't get blogger to accept photos this morning. I'll try again this afternoon!

We have photos of two more of the upcoming November classes. Candy Conner will be teaching a Christmas Gift Lunch Pail (for boy or girl) on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. The boy lunch pail is shown (cars not included in class), and we'll post the girl one later.

Allison Davis will be teaching a Memories Journal mini-class ($5 cost) on Tuesday, Nov. 14.

At this point, the new stuff is coming in to Scrapbook Generation faster than we can find places to put it! Since the goodies on the new wall haven't even been there more than a couple of days, we had to look around for more room for today's great shipment from Creative Imaginations.

There are several themes, including baby boy and baby girl, little boys, princesses (complete with glitter paper), pizza parties, Disney, and even a heritage/love grouping with scalloped paper. In addition to patterned papers, there are epoxy stickers, cardstock stickers, and all kinds of fun stuff.

We also received our first ever shipment from Maya Road. There are nine different flower-shaped ribbon slider sets, each with a unique color combination. The tins they are packaged in are too cute for words!

And don't tell, but next week we're expecting that fantastic Far East collection from new company Imaginisce you've been seeing advertised in all the magazines.

You know that it's fall when you wake up in the morning and there are turkeys in your yard! All you city gals won't be able to relate, but my life in the country includes watching whatever wildlife happens to stroll by.

I've seen groundhogs, skunks, rabbits (though not as many as when I lived in town), quail, coyotes, porcupines, racoons, and armadillos. Deer we see several times a week, but I'll have to admit that the two huge turkeys today were pretty cool. They must have been a matched set, and I assumed the smaller one was a female. Every once in a while, the larger one would ruffle up his tail feathers for the traditional turkey pose. They circled the house for quite some time, and it was fun watching them.

Anyway, I have the day off tomorrow, and I'm going to get out some autumn photos and make some scrapbook pages. Like many of you, I don't get to do that as often as I would like. This Friday, we have plans to take Andrew to the pumpkin patch, and I can't wait...I'll really have plenty of pics to work with then!

Fun week at Scrapbook Generation...we've had new stuff from Daisy D's, Bo-Bunny, KI Memories, and SugarTree, to name a few.

Daisy D's has three Christmas and winter collections that are just filled with nostalgia. Beautiful papers are accented by matching monogram letters, phrases, ribbon flowers, tags, and more.

Bo-Bunny, as always, has cute papers and matching stickers. The groups we have include father, mother, fall, pink dog, and family/friends. A couple of the groups have matching ribbons.

KI Memories Christmas and winter collections just came in today, and I think KI is really on a roll! Their papers are outstanding, but when you add in two matching ribbon sets for each season, the cool lab kits with sparkle brads, sequins, and more, and chipboard shapes and letters, you have a really awesome package.

SugarTree has us all set for what I was talking about earlier-- turkeys! We have quite a collection now of hunting and fishing papers, plus new sports papers in basketball, baseball, football, karate, running, volleyball, bowling, and more.

Design Team member Jane Hunt takes her turn at center stage today, as we introduce you, in-depth in their own words, to each of Scrapbook Generation's talented group. (FYI, Jane was the winner of both of the "people's choice" (all those attending voted on the winners) contest categories -- best overall and designer's challenge -- at our recent Branson retreat.

Design Team Member #4: Jane Hunt
Occupation: small business owner (Designs + Printing); bookkeeper for her husband's surveying business; promotes a weekend crop twice annually at Lake Ozark, MO; teaches classes in her home crop room
Spouse: married 35 years to Michael
Children: Amie (stepdaughter) 37, Jason 33, Jami 29, Butch 26 (also 6 grandchildren -- Shelby and Tyler, 14-year old twins; Ashton 13, Avery 12, Logan 2, and Molly 1)
Hobbies other than scrapbooking: all types of crafts, gardening, home decorating, photography

-- How long have you been scrapbooking? Six years.

-- When and where do you usually scrapbook? Even though I have a large scrapbook room, I generally scrapbook in the evening in front of the TV. My husband enjoys me being close by.

-- How many pages do you complete in an average month? I average 6-10 pages per month. Not exactly a marathon scrapper!

-- Describe your scrapbooking style. Not really sure there is a name, I like to go strictly by my photos to design a page. I would have to say I like clean pages, not too much clutter. I like to coordiante colors, textures, and prints. For the most part I like variety which is what you get when you design around your photos.

-- What do you enjoy most about scrapbooking? The creating is what interested me at first, then I realized the necessity. Once I "retired" from the craft show circuit I needed to allow my creative juices to escape, and this seemed to be the best way to do that. It became apparent rather quickly that I was doing something for myself and more importantly for my family.

-- Have you been published? Yes, but not for scrapbooking. I've been a designer of three publications for Leisure Arts.

--Why did being on the Design Team at Scrapbook Generation appeal to you? Mainly because I love a challenge. I also feel that by being on the design team I will keep in touch with the trends and new products available.

-- Why is Scrapbook Generation your favorite scrapbook store? I enjoy going into Scrapbook Generation for several reasons. It has a bright, cheery and spacious atmosphere, there are plenty of items to choose from but not overwhelming or mindboggling, and the layouts on display are great sources of inspiration.

Bo-Bunny is here! Don't have time to take a photo, but wanted to let you know that we have several groupings, including Halloween, fall, father, mother, family and friends, and pink dogs. There are beautiful papers and stickers, and the fall and dog groups have matching ribbon sets.

Also, more of the K & Company Hannah and Addison collections came in today. The Hannah albums are very elegant, and there is a file folder kit that is absolutely too cute for words. In addition, five more colors of glitter letters came in -- now there is red, blue, silver, gold, pink, and green. If you love glitter, you'll love these sets!

For those of you who love hand-stitching on your scrapbook pages, Scrapbook Generation just received a new shipment of all the stitching templates by Timeless Touches. We also have a good supply of cork boards and paper piercers. From simple borders to elaborate scroll patterns, and from alphabet sets to flower designs, Timeless Touches templates make stitching a breeze!

K & Company's newest two lines arrived at Scrapbook Generation today! The Addison and Hannah collections are absolutely beautiful. Hannah is done in corals, pinks, and champagne; and Addison is all about blues, teals, and greens.

What is especially great about these collections is the matching items: covered chipboard letters embellished with pearls and glitter, fabric-covered brads embellished with pearls, glitter letters, as well as the usual K & Company rub-ons, grand adhesions, and stickers. The matching albums are awesome, as well!

Two of the items I expect to be re-ordering quickly, because I know they won't stay around here long. The Addison collection has a spiral album kit complete with everything to make the book, and the Hannah collection has a photo cube kit that is equally as cute.

For the sports-minded, we also received a collection of sports papers and stickers from Rocky Mountain Scrapbooks. There are papers for volleyball, basketball, baseball, and football, plus cardstock stickers for volleyball, basketball, and baseball.

Thanks for such a great response to Scrapbook Generation's new class schedule for October and November. Many of you are calling to sign up for four and five classes at a time, but the gal who signed up for 14 at once has the rest of you beat!

I've been really impressed with the creative classes our Design Team has come up with, and it's equally impressive to see that you are responding to their projects with such enthusiasm.

Next week has five unique classes coming up. Two are almost sold out, and the rest have a few spots left if you are interested. Photos of all these classes are shown in earlier posts.

Monday at 6 p.m. -- He Said/She Said minibook with Laura Parks (Laura has designed a book that can be read frontwards and backwards! "His" comments and "her" comments are separate, but very together! It would be cool to keep for yourself, or give to your favorite couple.)

Tuesday at 2 p.m. -- Hey You All Occasion cards with Allison Davis (You'll be making not just one, but two oversized cards in the shape of a flower.)

Thursday at 6 p.m. -- Sending Cheer card with Allison Davis (This huge folding card will make anyone smile, it's so bright and "cheer"ful.)

Saturday at 10 a.m. -- Scrapbooking 101 with Marti Blattert (Marti is the perfect teacher for a beginning scrapbooking class. She's enthusiastic about the subject, and takes the time to help her students become acquainted with basic supplies, techniques, design ideas, and journaling.)

Saturday at 2 p.m. -- Mommy and Me Trick or Treat Basket with Amy Estes (This is an absolutely "too cute" project. An ordinary paper bucket is transformed with KI Memories Halloween papers, and ribbons to match. A great way for a mom (or aunt or grandmother) and child to spend a Saturday afternoon.)

On the following Monday at 6 p.m., Candy Conner has a cute School Days Picture Frame class and you actually make two frames. Candy is an elementary school principal, and she combines love of education with the love of scrapbooking in fine style. This project will work well with current school photos, and also has a vintage look that would blend well with photos from school days past.

I'll have to admit that I especially like it when Allison teaches a class -- I get to go to grandson Drew's house and babysit for a few hours. While Mom is teaching, we play with toys, read books, eat fish sticks, and give lots of hugs and kisses. I look forward to it all week, and this week I get two shifts!

Happy birthday to us! Just wanted to remind everyone that Scrapbook Generation is celebrating its second anniversary this weekend with a great sale -- 20% off everything in the store! Shop Friday from 10 a.m. until midnight, and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The Scrapbook Generation retreat at Branson used a Safari theme. We're already thinking of new ideas for the March retreats.

Photos of Scrapbook Generation's first weekend retreat in Branson should tell the rest of the story...read yesterday's comments from scrapbookers who attended in order to hear the "real deal" about the fun we all had!

For all you who wanted the recipe for the snack mix we served at one of the late-night snack buffets -- here it is. My family loves it, and it is a Christmas tradition at our house.

Orange Spice Snack Mix
1 package (6 ounces) Bugles original flavor snacks
1 can (12 ounces) mixed nuts
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 275 degrees. Grease or spray jelly roll pan 15 and 1/2 x 10 and 1/2 x 1 inch.
Mix snacks and nuts in large bowl.
Beat egg whites, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon in small bowl, using wire whisk or hand beater, until foamy.
Pour over snack mixture; stir until evenly coated.
Spread in pan.
Bake uncovered 35 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Stir in cherries. Bake uncovered 10-15 minutes or unti light brown and crisp.
Cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Makes about 10 cups of snack mix.

Scrapbook Generation's first weekend retreat, held in Branson this past weekend, was a huge success. I'll post photos on Tuesday, but thought I would share these comments with you today. Karin and I and Stacey and Ali worked really hard preparing for the event, and we were gratified with the overwhelmingly positive reactions to what we had created.

One thing everyone wanted was more cropping room, and we have already solved that problem with a new location for the March retreat. We are going to limit registration to 50 people at both Branson and Eureka Springs, and both sites have huge ballrooms for us to use. There will be more than enough table space and supply space! (Also, we're discovered that several of us are enamored of mashed potatoes and gravy, so that is a must for next time as well!)

Here's what attendees had to say about Scrapbook Generation's first retreat...

"I am blown away! I have called every one of my friends to tell them about this (and I'm still here!) It was absolutely fabulous. I'm looking forward to March!"

"The weekend was great! Can't wait to do it again. The retreat was put together with excellence in mind and you succeeded in everything from the food to the decorations and the prizes."

"It was a fabulous weekend! All you did was very much appreciated. Thank you for the work you did, the great gifts, and great food. It can hardly be improved on, except for having more room at the tables (the mountains of stuff we all bring!) Thanks so much. I had a great time."

"Great time, great food, great company, great rooms, great gifts, great idea."

"Enjoyed it very much! Food was great. I would come back again."

"Awesome weekend. Good classes, good food, very relaxing, loved the prizes."

"I had a wonderful time! You have done a great job! Thanks. It was the best weekend I have had!"

"Paid great attention to detail. Beautiful location. Very accommodating. Great prizes. Wonderful fellowship. Request a little more room per person to spread out, and need more gravy to go with those mashed potatoes!"

"Great presentation with place setting, tags, etc. Excellend job on food -- quality was good and plenty of drinks available. Nice accomodations. You have good taste."

"The food was wonderful, the condos were great also. Thanks for a great time and all your hard work!"

"Karin and Debbie, you both were so great. The food was fantastic, rooms were great and the decorations were festive. I would recommend your retreat to my friends."

"What a lovely first cropping week for Scrapbook Generation and me! Your extra special touches made us feel that you treasured each of us. Your organization expertise led to a successful and smooth-running schedule."

"The whole weekend has been awesome. Thank you for all of the gifts, prizes, and fun."

"Fun, fun, fun! Just need more cropping space."

"Food, rooms and prizes were awesome."

"Everything was wonderful!! The store, food, and set-up was all great! The rooms were wonderful as well. I appreciate all the hard work you did putting together such a great weekend together! I look forward to the next one!"

"Everything was so pretty, very well organized. I felt so spoiled. Thank you!"

"Everything was excellent. It has been very good, classes good, no complaints. Thank you."

"I enjoyed the weekend. The meals were great, and condos were very nice. Great job for the first retreat. Thanks for all your hard work."

"Wonderful retreat! Food - awesome. Room - beautiful. Classes - great. Gifts and prizes - fabulous!"

"This was wonderful! Thank you for the use of Sizzix. Great choice of place. Also, thanks the most for making this weekend such a good time for all levels of experience."

"The retreat was fabulous. Great prizes, great condos. Attention to detail outstanding! Food and snacks delicious, however, there needs to be more mashed potatoes!"

"You did a wonderful job. This was a great first time experience. The decorations, gifts, prizes, and condo was excellent! Thanks for everything."

Karin and I were really worn out by the end of the retreat, but after we read these wonderful reviews, all the hard work was worth it. I'm already thinking of themes and decorations for March!

Wood Decor Word: BOO
Thursday, October 5 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Teacher: Stacey Arnall
Fee: $12

Class Description:
In this new monthly series, use coordinating Halloween papers, paints, inks, ribbons, and Li'l Davis glitter glaze to decorate 7-inch tall free-standing wood letters. Halloween never looked so stylish with Reminisce papers involved. Cute sign and ghost die cuts, and a fiber web complete this scary set!

School Days Picture Frames
Monday, October 16 at 6 p.m.
Teacher: Candy Conner
Fee: $8

Class Description:
Turn two white canvas photo frames into adorable school days picture frames with apple die cuts and an antiquing technique that will make a child's school portrait memorable. Daisy D's school papers add just the right touch to school photos from the present or past. (Please bring a 4x6 photo and a wallet-sized photo. They can be actual school photos or snapshots. It's important to bring the pictures to class, because they are part of the process. The photos will be in the frame permanently unless you tear the frame apart!)

"Ribbon Rules" Scrapbook Layout
Tuesday, October 17 at 6 p.m.
Teacher: Allison Davis
Fee: $12

Class Description:
Learn three new techniques for adding ribbon, just about everyone's favorite embellishment, to your scrapbook pages. On two pages, make a ribbon monogram using a simple backstitch, a fluffy ribbon flower, and an intricate ribbon border. Daisy D's paper in fall colors makes for a beautiful page just waiting for autumn photos.